Abstract

On the night of 7 July 1937, there was an exchange of shots between Japanese and Chinese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beiping (Peiping). At � rst, it seemed that nothing would come of it. Japanese troops had been in China, particularly in Manchuria, Beiping and Shanghai, more or less permanently since the end of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. In the 10 years prior to 1937 there had been numerous other incidents involving Japanese and Chinese troops—where shots had been � red, soldiers temporarily detained and even people killed—though in each instance the disputants had reached a negotiated settlement. In 1931–1932, the Guandong Army (Kwantung Army) succeeded in gaining control of Manchuria and, in May 1933, had even secured Chinese recognition of its control through the Tanggu (Tangku) Truce. On this occasion, however, there was to be no settlement. The shots exchanged in July 1937 were to be the start of the Sino-Japanese War, as Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government was no longer willing to bow to Japanese demands by ceding them more territory